Livestock

The majority of text books and advisory leaflets recommend using calving pens, particularly for dairy herds calving all year round.  However are they relevant to beef cows and the increasing number of seasonal calving dairy herds? 

Providing cows are in reasonable condition or gaining condition and have not had a difficult calving they will normally begin cycling around 5 weeks after they have calved.  However this first heat tends to be less fertile (as the womb has not been “flushed out” and is not sterile).  In comparison the second heat, which generally occurs 8 weeks post calving, tends to be highly fertile.

In general cows came through last winter in very good condition and, in general, have had (so far) an above average summer for grass growth.  (I am not sure this…

There are a number of factors which can contribute to different reproductive problems in herds and flocks, and it is worth considering which could be the cause of any problems in your case. 

I was recently challenged over my dislike of straw bedding machines.

Yorkshire pig producers, for whom 100% dry straw is critical, have encouraged the development of strong plastic sheets which can be firmly applied to a bale on the ground and then lifted up to “top off” the rick.

POD is the term used to describe the wastage which can occur when made silage is exposed to air/oxygen.  It is caused by the rapid growth of microbes (principally yeasts and moulds) in the silage and one side effect is that the silage begins to heat.

The time to plan for All Grass Wintering is coming up.